1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an accumulable conveyor, in particular to a suspension conveyor including an elongated drive member in communication with a conveyor means for temporarily disconnecting the drive connection in the accumulation area.
2. Prior Art
Conveyors of this type are largely known, e.g., from U.S. Pat. No. Specification 3,795,200. The known conveyor includes a drive chain as a drive member which has a pusher dog pivotably secured thereto. The pusher dog grips with a pusher surface in form-locking fashion behind a conveyor means, so that the conveyor means is carried along during movement of the elongated drive member. Furthermore, the dog includes an abutment surface which can engage an abutment surface on the conveyor means in such a manner that the dog is lifted from its pusher position when such an engagement takes place. Pusher surfaces and abutment surfaces are arranged on the conveyor means and dogs in such a manner that the abutment surface of a dog engages the abutment surface of a conveyor means which is the immediately preceding one in the conveying direction, as soon as a specific distance between the preceding conveyor means and the conveyor means carried along by the dog is not reached, which is for instance the case during accumulation. The dog is lifted by the impact pressure, releases the conveyor means which has so far been towed thereby, and inefficiently moves away forwardly together with the drive over the accumulated conveyor means. Hence, with this type of conveyor it is only the pusher means that moves whilst both the drive member and the conveyor means remain in their former alignment and at their former distance. This kind of an impact-pressure actuated separation means for separating the conveyor means from the drive requires, however, a specifically designed drive and has to be changed when the drive is, for instance, changed.